Page 125 of Kingly Bitten

I glowered at him, disagreeing entirely with that statement. Nothing could matter more than Calina. “I can’t feel her,” I said through my teeth.

He considered me for a moment. “Your connection is fresh. You don’t know how to find her yet. But her body will heal.”

“It feels like… like…”

“Like your soul just died?” he offered.

“Yes.” And I bloody hated it.

“Dulling the connection via unconsciousness or temporary death can be alarming at first. It’s unsettling. But it’s also normal to experience temporary disassociation,” he returned.

Then he flicked his gaze to the left, drawing my attention to the now silent room.

Well, shit.

Something snapped into place within my brain as his words registered.Temporary disassociation.

Not being able to feel her isnormal.

She’ll revive herself soon.

Because she’s immortal and it’s only a broken neck.

All things I already knew. It’d been the sudden lack of a connection that I hadn’t known how to handle. It’d left me vulnerable and lost and so utterly broken.

Then Lajos had reached for her with the intent to bite and…

Fuck.

I’d lost it.

I blinked and shook my head, clearing it for the first time in what felt like hours but was more realistically only minutes, maybe even seconds.

It had been a momentary slip of sanity brought on by the most unexpected of causes.

I slowly took in the scene, and the full force of what I’d just done forced my return to the present.

Everyone was watching us.

Including Jasmine.

And they looked absolutely horrified.

My mind finally began to work again as I processed my actions from beginning to end.

Lajos had killed Calina.

I’d killed Lajos.

Several important members of his constituency had observed the exchange.

Now they were all waiting for whatever came next.

Because this was unprecedented. Royals didn’t just kill other royals. The bloodlines were too precious. There were rules. There were procedures. I’d just disregarded all of them because of my emotions winning out over reason.

Shit.

Darius had called it a justified killing, which would have been true a hundred and eighteen years ago.